USAID’s Kitchen Sink: A Food Loss and Waste Podcast USAID Food Loss and Waste Community of Practice

To celebrate Stop Food Waste Day, our latest episode of the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast is with Pete Pearson, the Global Lead for Food Loss and Waste at World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Pete and Ahmed Kablan, Senior Science Advisor at USAID, discuss how addressing FLW can serve as a catalyst for sustainable food systems, forcing us to measure the impact of food systems on the environment. Pete shares the collaborative global network of WWF, which includes 80 offices worldwide. This network helps WWF tackle FLW to increase sustainability and preserve biodiversity. Lastly, we wrap up our episode with Pete’s wishlist of the top 2-3 advances he’d like to see in FLW and circular economy. 

Our latest episode is with David Davies, the founder of AgUnity, which is using smartphone technology to combat poverty and reduce FLW among smallholder farmers and their communities. David shares opportunities for tapping into digital and traceability technology to reduce FLW. We explore a case study of how digital technology can facilitate “triple wins” of increasing access to safe and nutritious food, safeguarding farmer livelihoods and profits, and reducing methane emissions by improving traceability across multiple agricultural supply chains. More information on AgUnity can be found in this short video.

Our latest episode is with Thoric Cederstrom, Director of Research and Learning for Food Enterprise Solutions, which implements the Feed the Future Business Drivers for Food Safety (BD4FS) Project. BD4FS works with food businesses to adopt safer food handling practices to increase access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food. Thoric and Lourdes Martinez Romero, Senior Advisor in the USAID Center for Nutrition’s Food Safety Division, discuss the role of the private sector in reducing FLW and how improving food safety practices are a key part of this. 

Our latest episode with Jacob Ricker-Gilbert, Wyatt Pracht, and Patrick Ketiem of the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Processing and Post Harvest Handling (FPIL) explores the role of youth in reducing food loss and waste. The speakers share findings from a recent project conducted in Kenya, an area where youth unemployment and smallholder farmers lacking access to agricultural inputs are two major challenges. To try and address these issues, the project conducted a randomized control trial with agricultural youth clubs to train 397 youths in business concepts, FLW reduction management and gender considerations; Youth were also linked with agricultural input suppliers and provided the opportunity to sell post-harvest inputs that included hermetic bags and low-cost moisture meters called hygrometers. The study increased access to inputs that help reduce FLW and increased the incomes of certain youth. The median youth who participated in the project gained an $10 additional monthly income. For more information, read the recent blog from FPIL.

Our latest episode with Dina Esposito, who leads USAID’s Bureau for Resilience and Food Security, explores the Agency’s prioritization of and approach to addressing FLW, which produces “triple wins” on climate, nutrition and food security, sustainable food systems, and economic development, especially in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the global food security crisis. Listen on as Dina and Ann Vaughan, Senior Advisor for Climate Change, share USAID’s FLW funding and programming that engages women and youth.

If you have an idea for an episode topic you’d like to see featured or if you would like to participate in an episode of USAID’s Kitchen Sink, please reach out to Nika Larian (nlarian@usaid.gov).
There’s no time to waste!

The USAID Research Community of Practice Sub-Group on Food Loss and Waste (FLW) aims to share research and knowledge with USAID staff and implementing partners interested in the implications of and approaches to addressing FLW. In this episode of the monthly USAID FLW Podcast, Nika Larian, Food Loss and Waste Advisor at USAID, interviews Rusty Eason, a technical advisor with Brighthouse working with Food Enterprise Solutions with over 30 years of experience in the cold chain industry.

Rusty shares the important role that the cold chain plays in reducing FLW and the challenges that exist, including transportation, which is the “weak link” in the supply chain most likely to break the cold chain. We explore the business case for the profitability of investing in and implementing cold chain technologies.

For more information on the podcast or contribute to an episode, contact Nika Larian at USAID (Nlarian@usaid.gov).